Thursday, January 5, 2017

*Mail Call* November 2016

November was a slow month for me book mail wise, but slow months have to happen at some point, right? Just agree with me, it's easier. But I won't bore you with needless exposition. Here are the books I got in the mail in November.

Flying Lessons and Other Stories Edited by Ellen Oh

Photo Credit: Goodreads

Synopsis

Whether it is basketball dreams, family fiascos, first crushes, or new neighborhoods, this bold anthology—written by the best children’s authors—celebrates the uniqueness and universality in all of us.In a partnership with We Need Diverse Books, industry giants Kwame Alexander, Soman Chainani, Matt de la Peña, Tim Federle, Grace Lin, Meg Medina, Walter Dean Myers, Tim Tingle, and Jacqueline Woodson join newcomer Kelly J. Baptist in a story collection that is as humorous as it is heartfelt. This impressive group of authors has earned among them every major award in children’s publishing and popularity as New York Times bestsellers.From these distinguished authors come ten distinct and vibrant stories.

Limerence Be careful what you tell yourself. Jackie Baker likes to pretend. She pretends she's happily married to her handsome, successful husband. She pretends she's the perfect mother to her two beautiful children. She even pretends that her secret job as a phone-sex operator is noble and fulfilling.But after years of pretending, Jackie's life is about to unravel. Her husband may be having an affair. Her mothering skills may be less than stellar, and her new client with the alluring voice is about to send her spiraling.As the line between reality and fantasy begins to blur, Jackie Baker becomes trapped in a cycle of obsession and lies. Now, she either has to get her life back on track, or it will spin out of control forever.

Have you ever wished you could live in an earlier, more romantic era? Ladies, welcome to the 19th century, where there's arsenic in your face cream, a pot of cold pee sits under your bed, and all of your underwear is crotchless. (Why? Shush, dear. A lady doesn't question.) UNMENTIONABLE is your hilarious, illustrated, scandalously honest (yet never crass) guide to the secrets of Victorian womanhood, giving you detailed advice on: ~ What to wear ~ Where to relieve yourself ~ How to conceal your loathsome addiction to menstruating ~ What to expect on your wedding night ~ How to be the perfect Victorian wife ~ Why masturbating will kill you ~ And moreIrresistibly charming, laugh-out-loud funny, and featuring nearly 200 images from Victorian publications, UNMENTIONABLE will inspire a whole new level of respect for Elizabeth Bennett, Scarlet O'Hara, Jane Eyre, and all of our great, great grandmothers. (And it just might leave you feeling ecstaticallygrateful to live in an age of pants, super absorbency tampons, epidurals, anti-depressants, and not-dying-of-the-syphilis-your-husband-brought-home.)

Remembrance of Blue Roses follows a man and a married couple in New York City, whose intricate relationship oscillates among friendship, love, love-triangle, and even obsession. Its romantic ambience is interwoven with classical music, opera, art, family legend, and international affairs, illuminating the lives of international civil servants at the United Nations and the UN peacekeeping mission in Sarajevo, and those with direct experience of the Israel-Palestinian conflict and the Holocaust.Mark, the narrator and an American, works for the United Nations in New York as a personnel officer; his friend, Hans, German, also works for the UN as an economist; and Yukari, Japanese and Hans’s wife, is a professional violinist. One day Mark encounters Hans and Yukari in a museum. As Hans enjoys opera singing and Mark is into painting, the three foster their friendship through classical music, opera, and art. Mark resists feeling drawn to his friend’s wife. One evening over dinner, they discover that their families were acquainted generations ago. This bonds them together. During the summer, inspired by the beauty of Yukari in her light blue dress at the UN garden, Hans and Mark secretly plant blue roses there for Yukari. The blue roses later blossom sumptuously. The three enjoy their blue roses, the symbol of their friendship and bond.The story becomes complicated by the involvement of two other women: Mark’s ex-wife, Francine, a Swiss, who is remarried to another of Mark’s friends in the UN, Shem Tov, an Israeli; and Mark’s high school sweetheart, Jane, to whom he was briefly engaged. Francine encourages Mark to be happy with Yukari, while Jane now wants to marry Mark. Yukari becomes pregnant with Hans’s child and happily settles into her role as expectant mother. Mark, Hans, and Yukari celebrate New Year’s Eve at the height of their friendship and happiness.Then a series of tragedies shatters their joy and alters their future forever.

The Imarah tribe is dying. The gods have abandoned them; demons feast on their souls in the night, and when morning dawns, murderous raiders pick off those still left alive. As the prince of his people, Tir is determined to break the curse. But when the enemy he imagines in Wilderheim turns out to be the last chance for his tribe’s survival, everything changes. Princess Liadan is shameless, reckless, dangerous, and unpredictable. She is the spawn of their enemy—Imarah will never accept her. They may not have another choice, if they want to live.Difficult trials lie ahead for Tir and Liadan—of mind, body, and soul. But the worst is one they never expected: a trial of the heart. A bond between them can only lead to tragedy the likes of which they are both determined to avoid, but it seems the merciless desert has other plans. One thing alone is certain: When demons fly, the world will burn…

HELLO. THIS IS STEVE JOBS. THANKS FOR HOSTING ME.And with those words the author finds herself thrust into an amazing adventure into the realm of spirit. Highly skeptical, she questions everything, throws roadblocks in the way, and argues with her disincarnate mentor. Little by little, as the evidence mounts, she comes to accept this unexpected telepathic connection with the soul of a man who had passed four years before. Five weeks from “contact” she comes across an incredibly talented psychic medium, who not only facilitates conversations with Mr. Jobs, but with the author’s deceased family and additional members of her soul group, corroborating and validating her experience in incredible detail. Mr. Jobs gradually unveils the lessons of his final illness and transition into spirit, as well as the unexpected nature of his dramatic connection with the author.The Journey Begins is a personal memoir that covers not only the first forty days from “contact” , beginning October 14, 2015, but takes the reader deep into the rugged life journey of one woman who refused to settle—against great odds--for less than her heart demanded. It is a poignant and often amusing trip deep into the soul through the maze of a very logical mind, a tale of love rediscovered, of a retired professional woman’s individualistic search for God and completion. The story will continue in the sequel, No Off Buttons: A Candle on the Mountain, which will continue the author’s path as her connection with the irrepressible Mr. Jobs deepens, as she meets new guides, as she is taught the simple truths that light the way for each of us to a happier, gentler world. COMES WITH 80 MINUTE CD of channeled discussions with Mr. Jobs, Thomas Jefferson, and others.

(Not Currently Available on Amazon)

Eleanor Roosevelt: The War Years and After by Blanche Wiesen Cook

Photo Credit: Goodreads

Synopsis

The magisterial concluding volume in the definitive biography of Eleanor RooseveltHistorians, politicians, critics, and readers everywhere have praised Blanche Wiesen Cook’s biography of Eleanor Roosevelt as the essential portrait of a woman who towers over the twentieth century. The long-awaited third and final volume takes us through World War II, FDR’s death, the founding of the UN, and Eleanor Roosevelt’s death in 1962. It follows the arc of war and the evolution of a marriage, as the first lady realized the cost of maintaining her principles even as the country and her husband were not prepared to adopt them. Eleanor Roosevelt continued to struggle for her core issues—economic security, New Deal reforms, racial equality, and rescue—when they were sidelined by FDR while he marshaled the country through war. The chasm between Eleanor and Franklin grew, and the strains on their relationship were as political as they were personal. She also had to negotiate the fractures in the close circle of influential women around her at Val-Kill, but through it she gained confidence in her own vision, even when forced to amend her agenda when her beliefs clashed with government policies on such issues as neutrality, refugees, and eventually the threat of communism. These years—the war years—made Eleanor Roosevelt the woman she became: leader, visionary, guiding light. FDR’s death in 1945 changed her world, but she was far from finished, returning to the spotlight as a crucial player in the founding of the United Nations.This is a sympathetic but unblinking portrait of a marriage and of a woman whose passion and commitment has inspired generations of Americans to seek a decent future for all people. Modest and self-deprecating, a moral force in a turbulent world, Eleanor Roosevelt was unique.

Science fiction icon Connie Willis brilliantly mixes a speculative plot, the wit of Nora Ephron, and the comedic flair of P. G. Wodehouse in Crosstalk a genre-bending novel that pushes social media, smartphone technology, and twenty-four-hour availability to hilarious and chilling extremes as one young woman abruptly finds herself with way more connectivity than she ever desired.In the not-too-distant future, a simple outpatient procedure to increase empathy between romantic partners has become all the rage. And Briddey Flannigan is delighted when her boyfriend, Trent, suggests undergoing the operation prior to a marriage proposal - to enjoy better emotional connection and a perfect relationship with complete communication and understanding. But things don't quite work out as planned, and Briddey finds herself connected to someone else entirely - in a way far beyond what she signed up for.It is almost more than she can handle - especially when the stress of managing her all-too-eager-to-communicate-at-all-times family is already burdening her brain. But that's only the beginning. As things go from bad to worse, she begins to see the dark side of too much information, and to realize that love - and communication - are far more complicated than she ever imagined.

Through the tragedy of death, love is reborn. Thomas and Gillian have lost everything. The depth of their loss made it impossible for them to pretend that the love they once shared was still enough. Separation seemed the only answer. Escaping from the pain of their loss and the love they felt they could no longer share, she abandoned her art, he abandoned his writing, and together, they abandoned each other... desperately in search of a way to heal. Through a fateful encounter with Paige, more than a year later, retribution turns to redemption as fate intercedes and brings the past into full view. Because of Paige, Thomas discovers a path back to Gillian's heart and perhaps, back into her life. But will she accept all he has to show her... secrets from her past and a key to her future?

At just forty-one years old, Dr. Autumn Klein, a neurologist specializing in seizure disorders in pregnant women, had already been named chief of women s neurology at Pittsburgh s largest health system. More than just successful in her field, Dr. Klein was beloved by her patients, colleagues, family, and friends. She collapsed suddenly on April 17, 2013, writhing in agony on her kitchen floor, and died three days later. The police said her husband, Dr. Robert Ferrante, twenty-three years Klein s senior, killed her through cyanide poisoning. Though Ferrante left a clear trail of circumstantial evidence, Klein s death from cyanide might have been overlooked if not for the investigators who were able to use Ferrante s computer, statements from the staff at his lab, and his own seemingly odd actions at the hospital during his wife s treatment to piece together what appeared to be a long-term plan to end his wife s life. In Death by Cyanide, Paula Reed Ward, reporter for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, describes the murder investigation and the trial in this sensational case, taking us from the poisoning and the medical staff s heroic measures to save Klein s life to the investigation of Ferrante and the emotion and drama inside the courtroom."

Live Life from the Inside OutDespite living in a hyperconnected world, individuals are more disconnected from each other and themselves than ever before. In her engaging new book, Life, Incorporated: A Practical Guide to Wholehearted Living, Halley Bock inspires readers to slow down, wake up, and pay mindful attention to all facets of life in order to generate self-worth and to live whole, more gratifying lives.In conversational prose, Bock shares her own experiences and guides readers toward purposeful living—what she terms as living life from the inside out, with topics ranging from inner life and well-being, personal mission statement to core values, avocation and vocation, and relationships. Bock’s focus on connection to the self and others makes Life, Incorporatedparticularly intriguing. Life, Incorporated is a must-read for anyone interested in redefining and recapturing life and provides a revolutionary alternative to the age-old money = happiness mind-set.​Bock expertly braids her personal path to fulfillment with compelling activities, thought-provoking quotations, and life-changing lessons that will captivate readers along with a journal component to ensure the reader can put this work into practice. Securing mindfulness and balance—from the inside out—is the only way to achieve fulfillment and real happiness. Bock shows the reader just how to make that happen.

When a family from Moscow rents a cottage on young, blind Ukrainian doctor Zinaida Lintvaryova's rural family estate in the summer of 1888, she develops a deep bond with one of their sons, a doctor and writer of modest but growing fame called Anton Pavlovich Chekhov. Intelligent, curious, and increasingly introspective as her condition worsens, Zinaida keeps a diary chronicling this extraordinary friendship that comes to define the last years of her life.In the winter of 2014, Katya Kendall’s London publishing house is floundering-as is her marriage. Katya is convinced that salvation lies in publishing Zinaida’s diary, and she approaches translator Ana Harding about the job. As Ana reads the diary, she is captivated by the voice of the dying young doctor. And hidden within Zinaida’s words, Ana discovers tantalizing clues suggesting that Chekhov—who was known to have composed only plays and short stories—actually wrote a novel during his summers with Zinaida that was subsequently lost. Ana is determined to find Chekhov’s “lost” manuscript, but in her search she discovers it is but one of several mysteries involving Zinaida’s diary.Inspired by fragments of historical truth, The Summer Guest is a transportive, masterfully written novel about an unusual, fascinating friendship that transcends the limits of its time and place. It’s also a contemporary story about two compelling, women, both of whom find solace in Zinaida and Chekhov as they contemplate all that’s missing in their own lives.

A debut novel in stories that follows one woman's life from age 16 to 60, and what happens when certain celebrities—Neil Young, Meryl Streep, John Updike, Taylor Swift, Karl Ove Knausgaard—start turning up in her private life, at the spa, in the middle of a break-up, even on the operating table.

Rose McEwan has lived her life out of the spotlight—daughter, wife, mother, ex-wife, journeyman writer trying to make ends meet. But even so, fame has come to her.

When she is 16, Rose’s parents send her to an arts school where a writing class with John Updike takes an extracurricular turn. After college she goes backpacking around the world with a boyfriend, and while their relationship implodes, she finds herself camping in a cave near the young, pre-famous Joni Mitchell. When she is back home waitressing, Bill Murray and Dan Ackroyd show up and whisk her away for some synchronized swimming. Bob Dylan crashes her summer cottage and won’t buy groceries, but at least teaches her son how to play the guitar. During a trip to the Cannes Film Festival, where her husband’s film will premiere, Rose becomes convinced she is being stalked by Charlotte Rampling. Treating herself to a weekend at a spa after the publication of her first novel, Rose is befriended a little too quickly by Meryl Streep. Having failed in her marriage (Gwyneth Paltrow dispenses romantic and skin care advice) and as a thriller writer, she applies for a job writing ad copy but en route to the interview, Van Morrison hijacks her bus. And in the somehow totally plausible final chapter, Rose finds herself on a camping trip with Leonard Cohen, Taylor Swift, and Karl Ove Knausgaard.

Filled with spot-on social commentary, Jackson shows how the famous serve us in ways we don't recognize. But, more importantly, she shows how the daily dramas of an ordinary woman’s life are as engrossing and poignant as any luminary tell-all. Unputdownable, deliciously fun, and incredibly thought provoking, Don’t I Know You? puts an unremarkable woman center stage, and shows how in the end, an ordinary life might be the most extraordinary one.

“Sorry, I’m straight.” Those words, accompanied by a smile, were the ones Sue Brent used to turn down women. But the truth was buried so deep that even her best friend, Nora, didn’t know that Sue was queer. Sometimes, Sue even managed to convince herself. The only person in London who’d seen through her façade was Moni, an American tourist.

When a date with a friend’s brother goes disastrously wrong, Sue has to confront the truth about herself. Leaving London, she returns to Australia to take up the reins in an outback law practice. Back in the country of her birth, she is finally able to accept who she is, including facing Denise, the woman who burned her so badly years ago and set her on the path of pretence. But it’s not until Moni arrives in Queensland to work for the Flying Doctors that Sue is finally able to see a path to happiness. However, as things start to go her way, Denise arrives in Mungabilly Creek, begging a favour that might destroy Sue’s new relationship.

The second in the Girl Meets Girl series of standalone novels with intertwined characters.

This book of interconnected stories depicts the chaotic life of a young boy on the run with histeenage mother. When Sarah reclaims Jeremiah from his foster parents, he finds himself catapulted into her world of motels and truck stops, exposed to the abusive, exploitative men she encounters. As he learns to survive in this harrowing environment, Jeremiah also learns to love his mother, even as she descends into drug-fueled madness.

Told in spare, lyrical prose, rich with imagination and dark humor, The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things transforms the savagery of Jeremiah's world into an indelible experience of compassion. This special edition includes an additional seven stories, previously uncollected, by JT LeRoy, the literary persona of Laura Albert.

Once upon a time, there was a dad who didn't want to tell the same old bedtime stories. Sure, he loved fairy tales as much as the next guy, but why tell the same old stories about pigs and bears and princesses when you can make up your own? TALES FROM THE DAD SIDE is what happens when a dad and his kids decide to make up their own stories. Screenwriter and author John Cosper and his kids created a collection of stories featuring pigs, wolves, dogs, cats, robots, chickens, parrots, monsters, dragons, aliens, cockroaches, princesses, honey badgers, Star Wars haters, and one really, really angry bird! This newly revised edition includes ten brand new stories with more twisted fairy tales, aliens, and even a Christmas story. It also includes twelve pages of original art work by the kids who inspired the stories. Always funny, sometimes meaningful, and always entertaining, TALES FROM THE DAD SIDE is a great escape from the ordinary bedtime - and the perfect launching pad to create your own stories and memories with your kids!

Life as a freelancer is hard. Doubly so when your job is kicking ass, taking names, and saving innocent lives from horrifying monsters.

It’s been a month since Mazik, Gavi, and Raedren—disaffected wage slaves turned magick-slinging adventurers—put a stop to the Cult of Amougourest and saved the city of Houk. You would think slaying a living god would be enough to make their new careers easy, with accolades all around and quests coming in without end. You would, of course, be wrong.

The guilds are rejecting them. Quest givers won’t listen to them. Their newfound fame is soon forgotten. If they’re going to get their careers off the ground, they’re going to have to work hard—and there are no big, flashy quests to help them this time.

From a high-stakes tournament and an orck invasion to a worker’s revolt and a mystery in a hidden village, follow these three friends as they travel across the continent, saving lives, vanquishing villains, and building their professional reputations. Not all adventures are glamorous, but it’s the small jobs upon which a freelancing life is built.

FREELANCE HEROICS is the sequel to WAGE SLAVE REBELLION, and Book 2 in the exciting FIRESIGN series. It's medieval sword & sorcery meets urban high fantasy, in a series of adventures about making your own way in the world, never giving up, and searching for true love as only a hopeless romantic can.

A friendly fire incident in Afghanistan takes a serious toll.A drone, out of control, brings death and wreaks havoc on a Florida highway.An apparently successful corporation comes under scrutiny.

A memorable incursion behind corporate closed doors, led by an up-and-coming executive on a mission to find the truth about the lives lost to the very technology that was mandated to protect them.

Our skies aren't safe anymore.

A thought-provoking page turner, Executivesizzles with plausible scenarios, conveyed in technical and business terminology at an unrelenting pace.

Exploring the controversial territory of toxic leadership and its long term consequences, Executive delivers an insightful analysis spiced with cutting-edge technology and science, in an exciting, masterful political technothriller.

Fans of Jack Ryan, Jason Bourne, James Bond, and Jack Reacher will be intrigued by Alex Hoffmann.

The Five Elements brings the wisdom of an ancient healing system to the modern reader.Many people today are interested in knowing themselves better, as evidenced by the popularity of personality tests online and in magazines. They want to know the reason behind their responses to situations. In this book, Dondi Dahlin shows us that we are all born with individual rhythms that go beyond the influence of our genes and upbringing. The five elements originated in ancient Chinese medicine 2,000 years ago--when scholars theorized that the universe is composed of five forces: water, wood, fire, earth, and metal. Understanding these elements helps us stay in balance physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. By explaining the efficacy of wood, the depth of water, the joy of fire, the compassion of earth, and the wisdom of metal, this book helps people understand themselves and form lasting connections to others, answering the age-old question of why we do what we do.

You bet your ass it does. A Careergasm happens when your work feels good. Really good. Like a groovin’ Marvin Gaye song. Like you and your work belong together, and you can’t help coming back for more.

But how do you get your mojo back when you’re in a passionless relationship with your job? In Careergasm, Sarah Vermunt leads the way. This playful, empowering book for wannabe career changers is a rally cry, a shot of courage, and a road map charting the course to meaningful work. Filled with real stories about brave people making great stuff happen, this how-to book will help you step out of your career rut and into action. It is written with love and punctuated with laughter. The snorting kind. And the occasional F-bomb. It’s a warm hug and a kick in the ass delivered by a straight-talking spitfire who walks the talk and has hundreds of thousands of people sharing her work at Forbes and Entrepreneur. It’s time to feel good again.

At thirty-four, English professor Paul Avery cannot see himself as a father. In fact, he thinks children are little beasts. To his surprise, he meets two men with sons during the month of May and his negative view about children begins to unexpectedly change.

Enter Matthew Hildebrand, one of Paul’s students at Castling College. Matthew is twenty-two and the father of Aiden, a six-year-old adorable little child. Soon Paul is befriended by the father and son team.

Then Paul meets handsome and professional architect, Dugan Brae, who is thirty-five and the father of seven-year-old Colby, a gifted little boy. After much convincing, Paul agrees to go on a date with Dugan, and surprisingly, the two hit it off. Plus, Paul finds Colby irresistible, creating a fresh friendship with the child.

As May turns into June, Paul is pulled in different directions by both Matthew and Dugan. And in due time, Paul must make a decision. With whom does he fall in love? Either one gains him a son, creating an instant family. Through the daily trials and tribulations of dating, babysitting, and just having a good time, will Paul find the man of his dreams and become a happy father in the process?

Why Are Breakthroughs So Rare? Everything scientists do is intended to lead to discoveries. No coincidence, we reward scientists who make meaningful discoveries with things like the Nobel Prize. Clearly, discoveries are the universal holy grail of science. Yet strangely, close to 100% of scientific efforts fail to discover anything. Why? And why does no one ever mention this? This is not to say scientists discover nothing, let alone nothing meaningful. Every life on this planet is better because of science's advancements. Moreover, scientists themselves are some of the brightest, most amazing people. So how do we explain their close to perfect record of failures? In part, this book will explore this mystery-why the current scientific method so rarely succeeds. This book will claim the problem lies not with scientists but rather, with their method. But what if scientists had a method which enabled them to make discoveries every time out? In the opening chapters, this book will describe what such a method would need to be like. We'll then test this method on everything from sleep problems and weight loss issues to the nature of deafness, cancer, meditation, and learning the times tables.Can we possibly discover anything new? Prepare to be amazed.

It may have been a slow month for book mail, but it came with a lot of books that I'm really interested in reading. The ones I'm most intrigued by are Crosstalk, Don't I Know You, Unmentionable, and Eleanor Roosevelt: The War Years and After. Which of these books are you most interested in reading my review on? - Katie